Fire season has arrived

Tuesday, June 17, 2014 — Red Flag warnings last week should arouse concern for all Lassen County homeowners as the danger of catastrophic wildfire rears its ugly head again this summer. The continuing severe drought conditions we’re experiencing make the situation even worse.

While homeowners can’t do much to change the conditions created by Mother Nature, they can take steps to reduce the threat of wildfire around their homes and in their communities. The steps homeowners take to reduce the ignition risks at their homes can make a great deal of difference should a wildfire come their way.

According to fire experts, there are three ways wildfires threaten homes — flying embers, contact by flames and radiated heat. Perhaps the most important step in protecting your property is by creating 100 feet of defensible space around your home.

Clearing an area of 30 feet immediately around a home is critical because of the reduction of flammable vegetation close to the structure. Firefighters often refer to ornamental junipers frequently planted around homes as “little green gas cans.” They say planting junipers near a house is never a good idea.

For the full Editorial and other opinions, read the Tuesday, June 17, 2014 edition of the Lassen County Times.